Latest update as of Sep 04, 2026

  • First update with good news!

    Sorry for the late update, things have been a whirlwind.

    Tracy’s surgery went very well this last Tuesday. The retinal surgeon was very happy with how the procedure went and is hopeful about his recovery.

    We had his first follow up with the surgeon on Wednesday September 2nd, less than 24 hours after the surgery. They removed the bandages and immediately started testing the vision in his right eye. Everything was intensely blurry and distorted, Tracy said it looks like he is looking through a grey frosted window with wavy lines and no color, but with the help of a few corrective lenses the doctor said he was seeing roughly 20/200ish in his far field vision which is not bad considering it was less than 24 hours after the surgery and the severity of the detachment. His near field vision is still only glimpses of light with no real definition but that is expected due to the silicone oil bubble put in his eye as a cast to keep the retina in place. The bubble is staying in position and is maintaining pressure. As the weeks go by he should start to have improvement in this area.

    He is recovering at home following strict orders to lay flat on his stomach and keep his face parallel to the floor during the day and sleeping only on his side at night as well as a regimen of steroids, antibiotics and other drops and medications. We have his next follow up appointment on the 18th and will post an update soon after.

    Thank you all so much for the love and support it really means so much to us.


About this fundraiser

Dear friends, family, and kind supporters,

We are reaching out to you during a sudden and challenging time. As most of you may know, Tracy has dealt with low vision pretty much his entire life and has been considered legally blind since his early teenage years.  Recently, Tracy began experiencing sudden flashing lights and blurred vision in his right eye.  On July 14th he went to see his eye doctor and was immediately referred to a retinal specialist and was diagnosed with 3 retinal tears in his right eye.  He had a laser procedure to repair the tears that day, two weeks go by and on the follow up visit the specialist found 2 more tears in the same eye, which were repaired by laser on July 31st, the doctor said he is basically a unicorn, in the fact that he is in the 1% of patients who require a second laser treatment, his follow up appointment for the second laser treatment was scheduled for August 31st, on Saturday August 29th he woke up with nearly all of his vision “blocked” except for about 10% of his peripheral. He was able to be seen by the on-call emergency retinal specialist and was diagnosed with a severe retinal and macular detachment. Without immediate surgery, retinal detachment leads to permanent vision loss in the affected eye.

The original specialist Tracy saw did not have an opening in his surgical schedule within the time frame required but thankfully the on-call specialist did. Both doctors emphasized that time was critical. So Tracy had surgery on September 1st,  at 10am to repair the retina and prevent irreversible blindness.  The surgery went well and hopes are high for his recovery  

While the surgery offers a strong chance of restoring and preserving sight, the financial burden is overwhelming. Especially with not one but two retinal specialists being involved. 
 

The costs include:

Two retinal laser repair procedures 

Surgical facility fees

Retinal specialist surgeon fees

Post-surgery medical care with multiple follow-up appointments

Medications, specific prescription contacts to prevent light damage during the healing process

Follow up surgery in 4-6 months for the removal of a silicone bubble put in the eye to hold the retina in place

Eventual lens replacement of the eye itself due to formation of a cataract caused by the silicone bubble during the healing process

Recovery and living expenses while taking forced time off work for weeks to possible months at a time

The list goes on and on

How You Can Help

To start we are aiming to raise $25,000 to help cover these immediate medical and living expenses during the recovery process.  

Every single contribution makes a difference. Here is how you can support Tracy

Donate: Any amount, no matter how small, this will directly help cover the cost of care and potential lost wages

Share: Sharing this campaign link with your network on social media, via text, or through email helps us reach more people.

Keep Tracy in your thoughts: Your kind words, prayers, and encouragement mean the world to us right now.

We will keep everyone updated on Tracy’s surgery and recovery process right here on this page. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your generosity and support during this crucial time.

          With gratitude,

The Crenshaw Family 

 

Organized by

Tracy & Tamara Crenshaw

Yukon, OK, USA

Organizer